Rivalries and Romance
by troublesfriend
Summary: Over the years Harry and Malfoy have become friends, and work together in Magical Intelligence, when diaster strikes they are forced to work with their American counterparts, but strangely, they know the american from school, and old rivalries and romance
1. Chapter 1

"Sir, there's been another theft." Came a voice, matched by a face both originating from the screen on his desk.  
  
"And..." Harry prompted, sensing there was a bit more to the story.  
  
"Well, could you come down to the operations room? We've discovered some fascinating information."  
  
"Certainly, lieutenant."  
  
Harry stood up, straightened his uniform and followed the all too familiar route, through a series of twists and turns that would take him to the main room.  
  
"Ah, Harry, I think you'll be interested in this." It was Harry's second in command, Draco Malfoy.  
  
Harry pulled out a chair across the table from where Draco sat, the room buzzing with activity, a slight more activity than normal, Harry noticed.  
  
"Something to do with the new case, eh?"  
  
"Stop reading my mind, you ruin everything." Draco laughed. "Yes of course, or else I would have left you to your oh, so important paperwork." Before continuing, Draco finished off his coffee, put the paper cup in the bin and made himself comfortable.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Quite. Now, last night we received a call from the Stonehenge Museum, some of their most priceless ancient artifacts have gone missing."  
  
"Which is not really a surprise, now is it, Malfoy?"  
  
"No, but the thrilling piece is, the artifacts had important runes on them. Which takes the case on an interesting turn. Before now, all of the stolen pieces were connected, on a similar theme, but none with inscriptions."  
  
"So are you telling me that we're dealing with a different thief?"  
  
"No, but after doing an international search on recent thefts, we've discovered something that would have helped us from the beginning." He paused to motion for another cup of coffee. "Which is that wizards in America have been experiencing a similar crime pattern. However, all of their stolen artifacts have contained runes. I think that no one has cared to identify or translate these runes and they probably have something important inscribed on them that will doom the whole world or something cliche like that."  
  
"I see. So, have you contacted the yanks to discuss a joint operation."  
  
"No, absolutely not." Draco snapped, haphazardly pushing the folder across the table to Harry. "I'm leaving that part up to you."  
  
Harry, slightly alarmed by Draco's strange behavior, flipped open the folder. He scanned the first page which summerized exactly what he'd said. He paused when he reached the person in charge of the American investigation. "Rowan?"  
  
Draco grumbled but made no real reply.  
  
"I'll take care of it right away." Harry said aloud, "you're such a pain in the ass."  
  
***  
  
The soft buzzing of the telephone dragged Rowan back into reality. She looked down at what she had been doing and seeing the same file that had practically burned it's image into her brain, she folded it up and slid it to the far corner of her desk. After several rings, she pressed the speaker button, too lazy to actually pick it up and casually put her feet up on her desk.  
  
"Colonel Rowan MacDermott." She mumbled.  
  
"Ah, Rowan. It's so bloody brilliant to hear your voice." Came a deep, male voice, one she easily remembered from her past.  
  
"Harry Potter, what a fabulous surprise."  
  
"You knew me at once...and it's not Harry Potter, it's Chief Potter, if you please."  
  
"Oh, give it a rest. No time for formalities. How are you?"  
  
"I'd say great and would love to bullshit with you for hours, but truth is, we've got a problem here. A problem that could sure use your help."  
  
"Where exactly is here?"  
  
"The International Wizarding Organization, the London office."  
  
"You've got to be kidding."  
  
"I almost never kid. As one of the most important officials in the Intelligence Division, I'm supposed to be, intelligent...if you will." Harry replied, with a false matter of fact tone.  
  
"Potter, you haven't changed, but since it's business you called for, it's business you'll get."  
  
"It has recently come to my attention that we've, the London and New York offices, have been investigating almost the same case."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"The random artifacts one."  
  
"Oh, good God, this case follows me everywhere."  
  
"Rowan, I promise, if you help us, that'll stop."  
  
"What do I need to do?"  
  
"Send us an operative, someone with knowledge of the case, I'll send one of mine...that way we can share information, work together to an extent and get to the bottom of this."  
  
"Sounds like a fab idea. I'd say that my operative will be there later tonight. When can I expect mine?"  
  
"Shortly. Rowan, I expect to hear from you frequently, whether it is about the case or not...and remember time heals all things. Potter out."  
  
"Time heals what?" Rowan tried to asked, but the call ended with a click. "You prat. Just who is he sending...?" 


	2. Chapter 2

"Ah, well if it isn't Rowan MacDermott." The low, drawling voice sent a shiver down her spine, drudging up memories that should have remained where they were hidden, forever, if they only knew what was best for them.  
  
"Draco Malfoy, I should have known."  
  
"You've changed," Malfoy smirked, a smile curling his lips. His calculating glance took in every inch of Rowan's appearance.  
  
"I see you haven't. How typical." Rowan sighed heavily. If he's here, who's running hell? How was she supposed to get anything done with this huge hindrance sitting right on her desk.  
  
Ha, ha, very funny. The Devil's running hell, I only work part time. I'm not sitting on your desk, and if we get this done quickly enough I promise you'll never see me again.  
  
"Don't do that." Rowan growled fiercely, "stay out of my head."  
  
"Ah, still sore about that." Draco grinned. "Sorry."  
  
"That's a first...can you stay it again so I can tape record it? I'm sure that's the only time I'll ever hear that. Now if you can excuse me, I have a call to make." Rowan picked up her phone and dialed out to her secretary. "Ashley, send up Zale please."  
  
"Of course...and who's the stud."  
  
"Don't get me started."  
  
"Rowan..." the secretary whined.  
  
"Later....get me Zale." She put the phone down quickly and looked up.  
  
Draco had taken a seat, and while he busied himself with a magazine, Rowan took the opportunity to look him over. He really had changed, she admitted to herself, and while his attitude still needed refining, he was one of the most sophisticated and attractive men she'd ever seen. His hair was still bright blond, his grey eyes still stormy, his clothing chosen well...his whole appearance just exuded an aura of sexuality.  
  
There was a sudden poof and obscuring her view of Draco, was Zale Fabiola, her best friend and lieutenant.  
  
"Hey Rowan." Zale smiled. "What's up?" But catching her friend's pointed glance, she turned ever so slightly to find a fiercely attractive man sitting on the sofa behind her.  
  
"Malfoy, out. Now."  
  
"Yes, Colonel..." He replied, his sentence smothered in fake humility.  
  
"Now, if only you could throw fireballs with your eyes, it would have made that moment absolutely perfect." Zale stood up to close the door, noting that the blond haired man had taken a seat against the opposite wall and still watched the two women.  
  
"You have no idea how much I hate that man...and I am sure that I can throw fireballs of some sort just not from my eyes...ooh, I should work on that...Malfoy on fire....that is a good idea for some mid-afternoon entertainment."  
  
"I'd say Rowan, you've got quite a bit of explaining to do."  
  
"I do, don't I?"  
  
"Yes. I'll just take a seat..." Zale rounded the desk and sat squarely on the corner, on top of the file that had become the kindling of this incident.  
  
"Alright, working backward I'll try and explain. Just a few minutes ago, I received a phone call from a fellow operative. A major general from London, and a friend from school, Harry Potter..."  
  
"Harry Potter....the Harry Potter?"  
  
"Yes, and to continue," she smiled sarcastically at her friend, "it turns out that we've been working on the same case, that stupid stolen artifacts one that's gotten us absolutely no where... He wants to team up, so I am sending him my top agent and he's sending me one of his."  
  
"Well, that's not so bad...a trip to England and Harry Potter, who's supposed to be a pretty sexy guy. But, you've got it in for that guy in the hall...so continue with that."  
  
"The guy in the hallway is Draco Malfoy. My arch-enemy.  
  
"See, I was in my first year of high school and having a brilliant time, I was dating the captain of the rugby team and things were going fine. One afternoon, as I was waiting for football practice to begin, Dylan, walks up to me and tells me that things are over...and as he walks away...another girl from the football team, runs up to him and they start snogging right in front of me. He'd been cheating on me. I was so angry. I never really noticed it, but everyone tells me that right after I saw them walking away a storm appeared...and it wasn't just any storm...it was horrible...the sky got dark, the wind began to whip around us, stirring up everything that lay around...and with a loud crack, a burst of lightening came down from the sky and struck a tree...the very tree that Dylan and the girl had been standing under....it burst into flames. They ended up being fine...but of course I wasn't. It was really unbelievable that the storm had not been a normal occurence. I ran the entire way home from school and that's when I got it...  
  
"There was a letter waiting for me from Hogwarts...there was a sincere apology from the headmaster for not seeing my powers earlier...I was 14...most students start learning magic at age 11. I got to school and was placed into Gryffindor, conveniently with my cousin, Hermione, who was friends with Harry and this other boy, Ron Weasley, the messes we all got into in those days.  
  
"Anyway, it was up to me to catch up on what I'd missed. I taught myself at all hours of the day and began to catch up. Dumbledore, the headmaster decided that to test my abilities I would have to travel through a maze. It was a crazy journey and I'd used everything I'd learned and succeeded...It was basically like establishing my GPA...  
  
"It was the very next day when even more unexpected news was brought to my attention. Dumbledore gathered together Harry Potter, myself and another boy named Draco Malfoy. I could tell from the beginning that Harry hated Malfoy, and I instantly took a dislike to the boy. When Dumbledore arrived, he told us that he had an important announcement and just blatantly exclaimed that all three of us were mages, you know, wizards with abnormal amounts of power. I figured, and I'm sure that Draco figured that Harry was a ferociously strong mage and maybe if we were lucky, we'd been gifted with a tidbit. But it turned out to be quite the opposite. That's when things went wrong...I'd never met Draco, but I swear, he hated me from that minute...he tormented me every hour of every day...and because we needed special training as mages, we were together more often than normal. I didn't know why he hated me. Hermione suspected it was because I was a muggleborn, Harry thought it was because I was a muggleborn and had power equal to his...Ron claimed that he hated everyone and it was only because he was an obnoxious prat.  
  
"Within the next two years, Harry had defeated Voldemort and with that...Draco's father had disappeared...some chaos occurred for the two years as Harry's godfather and Draco's mother, who'd known each other for a long time began to date and finally married, making Harry and Draco almost like brothers...as Sirius, Harry's godfather was basically like his father. They grew closer and Harry eventually stopped hating Draco and vise versa... but I still hated him...  
  
"And then one day...I fell asleep, dreaming about Harry and had this god-awful, embarrassing dream...it involved some crazy romance....and some sketchy stuff I don't want to bring up....(Rowan blushed) and when I woke up, Draco was sitting right next to me...he'd gotten into my mind and basically experienced my whole dream as if it were a movie...and if that was the worst of it...he told Harry who'd been kind of dating Hermione...and I was so embarrassed... of course, you know I was a teenager....Harry didn't really care...he'd always liked me...I just hadn't noticed, you know..? That just made me hate Draco even more...so the fighting between us continued...there were constant wizard duels....as beater on the Gryffindor team I tried my best to injure him and he always had his beaters after me....off the Quidditch field, we competed in the class room, Hermione was first in everything but we were always vying for second. We finally graduated...I could have had any job, I chose this one...a change of scenery, no chance of seeing Draco....I've been here ever since and only think about him every once in a while...you know, when you think about what hell is like." Rowan came to an abrupt end and by the look on Zale's face, she could tell her friend was completely amazed and shocked.  
  
"You've had a crazy life," Zale smiled warmly and got up to give her friend a tight hug. "I am going to go to London tonight....I will solve this case with this sexy man Harry Potter, even before you can say 'Hogwarts.' I just want to say one thing, so listen carefully, relationships that start with hate...end either two ways....more hate....or love...I mean, not to be too silly, but look at Pride and Prejudice...Jane Austen was a smart woman." Zale laughed. "Best of luck."  
  
"Owl me when you get in...I want to make sure you're okay."  
  
"And I'll want to make sure that you and blondie haven't killed each other yet."  
  
"Haha....get outta here." Rowan laughed.  
  
Zale opened the door, paused to wave and Apparated to her office. Draco, seeing that there was yet another opportunity to talk to Rowan, stood up, straightened his expensive looking suit and entered her office.  
  
"So, are you finally done bitching about me?" Draco asked.  
  
"For now. What do you want?" Rowan countered.  
  
"A couple of things, first, could I look at the case file?"  
  
"Sure." Rowan grabbed the file and handed it to Draco, who retreated to Rowan's leather sofa and sat down to read. She found herself drawn to watching him...although she looked away, she kept wanting to look back.... What had Zale just said? Relationships that start with hate end either two ways, more hate or love. Like she'd ever love Draco....and she certainly hated him enough...there was no way she could hate him any more than she did right now... She supposed, going against a voice in the back of her mind that kept trying to remind her of all the things he'd done, that maybe, she could be a little nicer.  
  
Draco was reading the file, but he could feel Rowan's eyes on him. He couldn't believe that she still hated him so much...of course, he still hated her. How could a muggle have as much power as he, a full blooded wizard? And the number of times she'd embarrassed him... countless.... and the number of times she'd injured him in a Quidditch match...numerous... He supposed it was just one of those things that people never got over...but he did figure that since they were going to be working together that maybe he could lighten up, ever so slightly, because than maybe she would. Even if she still hated him, it wasn't like she wasn't beautiful to look at....her blond hair, blue eyes, slender figure, grace, and her quick wit had always kept him on his toes.  
  
"Finished." He exclaimed. "The second order of business is that, as of now, I have no place to stay." 


	3. Chapter 3

Rowan seemed to pause and think for a moment and the reply that she generated truly shocked them both. "You can stay with me and as I am leaving now, that also means you are leaving, so grab your ego and let's get out of here."  
  
"Yes, Colonel."  
  
"Ah, you are fabulous well trained." Rowan sneered. She led Draco out into the parking garage. In New York City, the wizards were quite content with living as muggles, the driving, the public transportation, the bars, the clubs...  
  
"Cars?" He mumbled, "this should be interesting."  
  
"Get in." She unlocked the doors and climbed in. Draco, not knowing anything about cars thought that this was a particularly nice one and Rowan could tell.  
  
She beamed, "it's a Mercedes, you'll never find a nicer car."  
  
"How can you afford this?" He asked curiously.  
  
Looking negatively at every remark coming from Draco, she took it to be some what of an insult. "You aren't the only one that comes from a wealthy family, it's just a different type of wealth."  
  
The rest of the drive was silent, not counting of course the noise of the city, the radio and other minor noises of the sort.  
  
Rowan's flat was a two bedroom beauty, on the third floor of a building on 79th and Broadway.  
  
Draco's mind was fast at work as she gave him a quick tour and left him in his room to unpack while she prepared dinner. Had something changed? Or was it just that she felt obligated. No, something had changed. Whenever he always wanted to know something, he just entered the mind of the person. This he couldn't do with Rowan. With a smile, he remembered that day back in Hogwarts when he'd found Rowan asleep and entered her dreams...about Harry of course. It was an embarrassing dream and was glad that the roles hadn't been reversed. Draco wouldn't have been dreaming about just any girl, he would have been dreaming about Rowan. And that would have been the end of everything. He'd liked her from the first moment she'd arrived, two weeks into their Fourth Year and Dumbledore had introduced her to the entire school. She was then, and still was, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, and proud like he was. He'd known then that things would go either two ways, they'd hate each other or they'd love each other. Well, she'd met the Potter gang first and things went down hill from there. And when they'd found out that they were mages, and Draco and Rowan had equal powers, it was if they were meant to be and she just didn't see it. That was almost when he gave up, but buried under layers of hatred and frustration, there always remained a secret affection for the girl who never gave him the time of day. The fact that she was the only one that never gave him a chance also was a factor in his affection...but of course, nothing ever came of his unrequited love...he'd told Harry too, when their parents married. Harry kinda laughed and told Draco of how every one thought that he actually had a reason for hating Rowan and he was only just feeding her back what she dished out, mixed with an anger for being overlooked. The most important thing was that Draco felt now, of all times, that same feeling whenever Rowan looked at him, like there were a swarm of snitches in his stomach, all fluttering around. He planned to do his best to suppress his feelings and hopefully get rid of them by the time this joint-operation was completed.  
  
Rowan finished setting the table, a fabulous meal of chicken, potatoes and vegetables, with some candles...she thought the candles might be a little much, but she loved the affect they had on the meal. She looked over the table and deciding that she was as ready as she'd ever be for a meal with Draco, went to fetch him from his room. She found him, relaxed on his bed, nothing put away, staring off into space. Rowan studied him, he looked as good as he ever had, even better now that they were older. But there was no time to think like that now...maybe later. She shook her head to clear the thoughts and memories that had come rushing in.  
  
"Hey, day dream believer, tea's ready." Rowan laughed.  
  
"I wasn't sleeping." Draco replied, saying the absolute first thing that came to his mind.  
  
"I see you got a lot done."  
  
"Oh, leave it. Lead on to the feast." He laughed. They rounded the corner and when Draco spotted the kitchen he froze. "Candles, huh?"  
  
"No, I am not trying to romance you. I like candles, end of conversation."  
  
Draco laughed, "could I get something to drink?"  
  
"Ah, well, there's Smirnoff Ice in there now, but nothing else. I am currently out of liquor as I didn't know I would be entertaining guests."  
  
"Who said anything about entertaining? No, only kidding. I like Smirnoff Ice well enough."  
  
"You do? Well, help yourself. How 'bout some music?"  
  
"Yes, I do and yes, that would suit me just fine."  
  
Rowan smiled to herself, logging away a question to ask Draco a bit later, after a few drinks. She watched as Draco took a seat and then she moved to turn on the radio.  
  
"You can't hurry love, no, you'll just have to wait, she said love don't come easy, but it's a game of give and take."  
  
There was silence as Rowan changed the station to a pop one. It  
was still silent as she took her seat across from Draco. They were both thinking at the coincidental lyrics that had just played. Rowan spoke first.  
  
"Um, I know it's not really my place to ask, but most guys don't drink, well, that drink...do you happen to bat for the other team?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Do you like your toast buttered on the other side of the bread?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Draco are you gay?" 


	4. Chapter 4

There was a dramatic pause as Draco studied Rowan's face. He'd known what she'd been trying to ask but was just trying to have a little fun, she obviously didn't get it. Rowan studied Draco's face, although she couldn't tell what he was thinking, who ever could? She found that while half of her kind of wished he would be gay just to make things interesting, she found that the other half wouldn't believe it to be true. It was kind of ironic, it had always been. She remembered a point in her childhood when she would have given anything to have dated Draco, but the fighting never ceased. And she considered her chances officially ruined that day when Draco had entered her dreams and she happened to be thinking about Harry. She was lucky, any other day it would have been Draco and that would have been all the more dangerous. One more advantage he would have had over her. Those days were gone of course, she couldn't really imagine herself with Draco, well, maybe deep down there were still some of those feelings. And she was sure they would surface by the end of this operation.  
  
"No." He answered flatly. "Are you?"  
  
"Am I?" She snorted. "No. At this current moment I am single. I actually just broke up with my boyfriend."  
  
"Aw, sorry."  
  
"Ooh, a second sorry in one day. Maybe you have changed." She sneered.  
  
"What happened?" Draco asked casually, hoping to be able to get an understanding of what she was like now.  
  
"You really want to know?" She asked, some what shocked, but Draco nodded so she decided to tell. "Well, he was my roommate. He lived in your room. One day we decided that we had something special. That something lasted for about a month until I found out that he'd been cheating on me with someone else...actually he'd been cheating on her with some one else and so on and so on...he was a regular man about town."  
  
"That's horrible. So I take it he moved out....?"  
  
"Actually, it was very Hollywood. When he came back from work all of his belongings were in the hall and his key didn't fit the lock."  
  
"Again, I'm sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I haven't had a girlfriend in over a year. I tend to submerse myself in work and avoid relationships. I'm no good at it. All my girlfriends find me obnoxious, proud, too self centered and a workaholic."  
  
"Ah, welcome to the club." Rowan paused, rethinking what she had just said. Were they actually having a heart to heart? She couldn't believe it. "Well, I get that same thing too. It usually accompanies something like, you're gorgeous but, or you're fabulous in bed but...."  
  
"Fabulous in bed?" Draco raised his eyebrow curiously. He couldn't believe that after so many years of not talking they were bonding...how long would this last?  
  
"Don't get any ideas."  
  
Not long obviously....  
  
"Well, I'm going to do the dishes, take a shower and go to bed."  
  
"All right, I'll shower in the morning...good night."  
  
"Good night."  
  
With that, the conversation that they'd both been enjoying was ended and Draco and Rowan went their own ways.  
  
***  
  
"Hi, are you Chief Harry Potter?" Zale asked, finding only one person in the office into which she'd been directed.  
  
"That's me and judging by the American accent, you are my operative?"  
  
"Well, that's me, Lieutenant Zale Fabiola."  
  
"You Americans and your silly names."  
  
"Right." She mumbled, casually trying to check out the famous Harry Potter. She suddenly caught herself. "So, what's the plan?" Zale replied changing the subject.  
  
"It's late so, we're going back to my place, having some food and then sleeping."  
  
"Sounds great."  
  
"Follow me then."  
  
Zale would have replied, to the ends of the Earth, if given half the chance. Using her better judgement, she decided to keep it to herself.  
  
Harry smiled to himself, having just read Zale's last thought. Sensing that she had no superior wizarding powers, he found himself thankful to work with some one normal for a chance. He would have said good looking, but there was no denying that Draco wasn't attractive, there was just the simple difficulty of him not being female, which Zale most certainly was. Rowan really knew how to pick 'em.  
  
Zale gave Harry the once over and then just incase, to make sure she didn't miss any minor details, gave him a twice over. He was every bit as sexy as her friends in the IWO Apparating room had said he would be, there was no denying it. But of course, there was the simple problem of this being a working relationship and there would be little chance of an actual relationship as she was quite sure that Harry was as career driven as Rowan was.  
  
Harry led Zale to the Apparating room and prepared to apparate home. "Hold on," he motioned to Zale, "you'll be able to get there later, but I just want to make sure there are no problems and the first trip is a safe one."  
  
As they moved near each other and clasped hands, there was a sudden sensation that went through them both, chilling them to the core. There was no denying it, something was there between them that was meant to be.  
  
***  
  
"Hey, sleeping beauty, get your ass up."  
  
Draco tried to roll away from the voice that was disturbing his sleep. He rolled once, twice and midway through the third roll the bed ended and he hit the floor.  
  
"Coffee?"  
  
"Screw you." Draco whined, a glimmer of pain resonating in his right arm.  
  
"Looks like some one rolled off the wrong side of the bed this morning," Rowan chuckled as she walked away. She smiled to herself...she didn't want to wake him, it was the only time that she could get a word in edge wise, and not to mention, he looked absolutely fabulous when he was sleeping. Don't think like that. You fall in love with him, that'll accomplish what, exactly? She shook her head to clear all thoughts and continued to the kitchen to cook a few pieces of toast.  
  
Draco yawned, rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and stood up to disentangle the sheets from his body. He went to the closet for some clean trousers and a shirt, grabbed his toiletries and went to shower. He reveled in the feeling of the warm water rushing over his body before reality began to sink in. He'd just spent the night, comfortably, in his arch-enemy's flat. She'd been so nice...which was odd, considering their past. He finished showering and dressed, admired himself in the mirror (of course he looked good, when didn't he?) and went to meet Rowan in the kitchen.  
  
"So, about that coffee."  
  
"I believe you said um, what was it? Oh, yeah, 'screw you.'"  
  
"What can I say? I'm no morning person."  
  
"I see. And I knew you'd change your mind. Toast?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
She set a cup of coffee down in front of him with a saucer of milk and a jar of sugar. While she busied herself with the toast, Draco, out of the corner of his eye, to avoid being suspicious, studied Rowan. She too wore a button up shirt, a short skirt and knee high boots. All of which culminated into one question. They didn't have a uniform? Not that he minded, she looked particularly stunning.  
  
No, we don't have a uniform, and thanks for the compliment, you don't look too bad yourself...Mr. Armani.  
  
Draco realized he'd been staring and when he snapped of it, found that Rowan was watching him with interest.  
  
"Oh, so you can talk to me but I can't talk to you."  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"How fair."  
  
"Eat."  
  
There was silence. Rowan did admit to herself once more that Draco was noticeably attractive, but then again, that's what he'd been known for in Hogwarts: his attitude, his smirk, his good looks and his being a Malfoy.  
  
When they'd finished, they grabbed their coats and headed down the stairs to the street where her car was parked. In the car, Draco constantly flipped through the radio stations, never being satisfied.  
  
Once inside Rowan's office, they began their work for the day with Draco's relation of the British aspect of the case.  
  
"Basically, it's the same as yours. Almost painfully identical. Only none of ours have contained runes, they're just stones. I think that we might be dealing with the same criminals."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
"For once." Draco drawled catching a piercing glare from Rowan. "Anyway, Harry and I have compiled a list of who we think may be involved...."  
  
"You know what? You work on who may be involved...I'll bring someone else up for that. I want to know what's foretold by those runes. Because that is the million dollar question...from there we can deduce who exactly the culprit may be."  
  
"Ah, see that is why you are in charge." 


	5. Chapter 5

"Thanks." Rowan picked up her phone, dialed out to her secretary and rattled off a list of people she wanted found and sent to her office. When she replaced the phone, she found that Draco was unconsciously smiling at her.  
  
"You know," he mumbled, catching himself quickly when he realized he'd been staring. "When I found out you were in charge, I half expected you to have a male secretary that was at your beck and call..."  
  
"You're such a twit." Rowan replied firmly.  
  
"But you love me." Draco countered, a smile playing on his lips. He knew of course she would say she didn't but he loved making her uncomfortable, especially in her own domain.  
  
"I love the gum on the bottom of my shoe more than the mere thought of loving you." She answered flatly and then laughed. "But I do love your cocky, egotistical personality..."she paused as he blanched, astonished, and then finished, "as much as I would love a serpent to strike me dead."  
  
Draco nearly died, when she began talking about his personality. He knew he'd given something away to Rowan, he blanched when she mentioned loving him. Why? Did he want her love? Remember what she has done to you... A voice strictly reminded him, she'd been awful to him and reproached him again and again.  
  
Rowan nearly died of shock when she saw the surprised look on Draco's face at the mention of her loving a part of him. Was he shocked terrified? Or was he shocked because he had real feelings for her? Probably terrified...stick with the worst case scenario.  
  
While they'd been arguing, a group of people had gathered outside of Rowan's office. Ashley, Rowan's secretary was trying to relate to them just who the trouble-making, outsider was, without speaking, it was difficult. Finally, fed up, one just knocked.  
  
"Colonel?"Came a voice.  
  
Rowan's head snapped up and Draco's head whipped around to see the assembled crowd.  
  
"Let's see, everyone this is Lieutenant Draco Malfoy, from the IWO London," Draco lifted a pale hand to wave at them as Rowan began to mechanically list them off. "On the right there, that's Steven Willoughby, he works in the Research division, there's Tom Chapin who works the Surveillance with Ian McDowell and Ren Thompson, then Natasha Jones from the Task Force and finally, Ariel McCormack who is an Auror." Rowan paused to take a breath, a sneak a quick glance at Draco who looked as if he was trying to make mental notes about all of the visitors. "Could everyone please accompany me to the briefing room." Rowan moved around her desk, and through the group and into the hallway. They all began to move and Draco was swept into the crowd.  
  
Once they were seated Rowan related to them the details of their joint operation and asked if any new information had been gathered. Only one man, Steven Willoughby raised his hand.  
  
"Colonel. I spent last night compiling all the runes that have been stolen and tried to work out a connection or a specific message." He began, and Rowan beamed, glad that some one with some inkling of intelligence worked below her. "It seems that all of the runes talk about the future...most of them concern the attainment of power, like some ritual to be performed to have supreme power."  
  
"Thank you, Steven, I'm glad some one has finally come through with some information."  
  
"Okay," Draco began, "how come none of our ancient artifacts have had runic inscriptions?"  
  
Steven began to look slightly nervous, "uh, Lieutenant," he mumbled, "we don't really know."  
  
"Ah," Draco drawled, and in his upper class manner waved his hand as if giving orders, "I suggest, Mr. Willoughby, that you figure out what our stolen artifacts have to do with yours...that way we can at least make some progress in this case."  
  
Steven looked away from Draco at Rowan, who was shaking her head in frustration and anger, "okay, anyone have anything else that they'd like to add?"  
  
No one answered.  
  
"Well, I suggest that we do like Lieutenant Malfoy suggests and try to find some connections...and some known criminals that would be hungering for power. Dismissed."  
  
The men and women scrambled from the room and when it was completely empty, Rowan turned to focus her attention on Draco.  
  
"Malfoy, who's in charge?"  
  
"You?"  
  
"That's what I thought. How about we start acting like it?" Rowan snapped and without waiting for what she knew would be a sarcastic or witty remark, swept out of the room.  
  
Draco sat in silence, the brilliant lights of the briefing room heating his skin. What was it with her? One moment she was his best friend, and they confided in one another. The next moment, she was biting his head off and ordering him around...as if he were a mere...muggle. Women. Now, what was he supposed to do? Did he need to follow Rowan and work on the case more or was he supposed to occupy himself? He decided that it would be time to check in with Harry. Leaving the briefing room, he wandered around the halls until he found a wizard who wasn't as lost as he was. He pointed him in the direction of a communication room.  
  
When Draco first stepped into the room, he was slightly astounded. It was a room full of fire places, all the fires were going and in several of the hearths Draco could see projections of witches and wizards in conversation with others standing before them. He made his way to the nearest unused hearth, took some of the powder from the shelf above the fireplace and throwing the powder in, whispered a few words.  
  
"Yes?" Came a curious voice.  
  
"Harry, it's Draco." He replied rather meekly and out of character.  
  
"Hey, are you okay? You sound out of sorts."  
  
"Oh, no I'm fine." Draco replied in his normal, obnoxious tone.  
  
"You sure?" Harry questioned. He knew that something exciting had to have happened already and he didn't care if it had to do with the case.  
  
"Actually no. I'm having quite a difficult time here. Things with Rowan haven't changed much. She still hates me, or at least that's what she lets on. I'm staying at her flat and last night we had like a heart to heart and I thought we really bonded but this morning things were exactly the same. And as for the case...one of the intelligent information gathering people figured out that all of the American artifacts all had runes dealing with attaining great power."  
  
"Ah, well, what? Did you expect her to welcome you with open arms? I should hope not. Just remember how you treated one another, like the ground you walked on...like shit. It's going to take a while and I know you, you're planning to sit around and wait for her to do the changing. She's just like you and neither of you can see it. If you start changing, she'll change...and if she starts than you need to comply. It's not a one sided thing. And I know that she used to like you, deep, deep, deep down and you never knew...and you used to like her and she never knew...I bet you can make something work."  
  
"Why do women have to be so difficult?"  
  
"Why do Malfoys have to be so difficult?"  
  
"Ouch, that stung."  
  
"It's true. No, I have more business to attend to."  
  
"How's your agent...? Not like Rowan I hope."  
  
"She beautiful...in completely different, more like me type of way...Rowan's just a female version of you...you ought to love her since you love yourself so much."  
  
"That stings too...man, you're breaking my heart."  
  
"Suck it up, make up with Rowan and solve the case. By the way, thanks for slipping in that piece of info there, its good to know that some progress is being made."  
  
"Talk to you later."  
  
"Good luck."  
  
With a pop, the image of Harry's head was gone from the fire. Draco turned and began walking back toward the door, and that's when he noticed Rowan. She was leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across her chest, looking as resilient as always. 


	6. Chapter 6

"So Harry thinks that I'm just like you, huh? Am I really that vain?" Rowan asked fiercely, but her mean intentions were marred by the smile that curled at the corners of her mouth.  
  
"You should stop listening in on people's conversations." Draco replied. There was one thing Rowan couldn't do that he could and that was hold a poker face. Draco never allowed his feelings to betray him, and Rowan almost always did.  
  
"I came to apologize."  
  
"What I said was none of your business...you came to what?" Draco said, taken a back. Was she apologizing...?  
  
"I was going to apologize."  
  
"Are you?"  
  
"Would you stop talking and let me?" She countered, "I'm sorry for saying what I just did. I'm really not used to working with people, let alone some one like you."  
  
"Someone like me?"  
  
"Yeah, someone like me." Rowan replied quietly. "We are quite the same and I think that it's part of the reason we never got along at Hogwarts. We were always trying to out do one another and you can't beat yourself. But you also shouldn't hate yourself, which is something I've come to realize and so, unlike at Hogwarts, I am going to try and stop being unreasonable and I am hoping, that you will do the same."  
  
Draco let his jaw drop in astonishment, not believing what she was saying. Thank god for Harry, because if she hadn't just over heard what he'd said this conversation probably would have never taken place, or would have taken place at Draco's funeral.  
  
"Mmm. Wanna close your mouth and answer me?" Rowan replied jokingly, tapping her foot on the floor impatiently. She'd heard what Harry had been trying to explain to Draco and realized just why she'd never liked him. Now, she'd laid her feelings out on the table and Draco was completely shocked, which, she remembered, took a lot.  
  
"I accept." Draco replied quickly, saying the first answer that he could wrap his brain around.  
  
There was silence as the two stood poised in the doorway to the communication room, caught up in each other's eyes. It was a beautiful moment and too quickly interrupted.  
  
"Um, yeah, so how about we head back to my office."  
  
"Lead on."  
  
They walked up and down several corridors in complete silence as the journeyed toward Rowan's office. They entered silently, nodding to Ashley as they passed. They took up seats, Rowan behind her desk and Draco as the conference chairs before her desk, in perfect silence. In the still quiet that filled the room, they both realized that it would be a great task to be civil to one another after so many years of hostility. It would be a great adventure for both, resulting in what they both hoped would be, an everlasting peace and understanding.  
  
***  
  
"So, have you spoke with Rowan recently?" Zale asked over dinner. It was her second night with Harry Potter and it seemed like her life couldn't be more perfect. He was the perfect host, the perfect boss, the perfect friend. Yet, there was no romantic involvement. They acted like they'd known each other for years, for more than years, forever, even.  
  
"Actually no, I haven't. I have spoken with Draco actually and it sounds like the case is under control." Harry smiled up at the red haired beauty that sat opposite of him.  
  
"Yeah, but what about Rowan? This is kind of an unfortunate accident, isn't it? The whole putting Draco and Rowan together thing."  
  
"I'm glad actually. Kind of ingenious on my part. See, they've had so many opportunities for like, the greatest romance and neither have them have seen past their hatred of one another to what lies in store. Their lives have been like a Shakespearian play."  
  
"You really think that they'll just get over themselves and fall head over heels in love?" Zale looked skeptical. "Rowan's got a really thick skin."  
  
"Draco is just the same. If you put him under a glamour, he'd be a perfect stand-in for Rowan. They are so identical it's disgusting. That's why I couldn't date Rowan. It was kind of like dating Draco and I just couldn't handle them both at once. Well, for the most part things just wouldn't work out because the whole time she was with me she was thinking of Draco, I'm quite sure of it now."  
  
"That's unfortunate. If I were with you, I couldn't possibly think of anyone else..." Zale gasped and put a hand over her mouth. "I cannot believe I just said that out loud."  
  
Harry was blushing. Women had swooned over him more often times than he can count and for longer than he could remember. This however, was the first time he felt light headed for one of his admirers. Harry eyed Zale, who sat staring at her plate, her hand still covering her mouth. Her face was flushed a bright red which did not do justice to her red hair at all.  
  
Gathering up all the courage he could muster, he stood up, walked around to her side of the table and knelt down next to her. She didn't look up but could feel his presence and his hot breath blowing on her cheek. He took her hand away from her mouth and kissed it gently. Astounded, she looked up from her half eaten meal and into the most gorgeous pair of eyes. His breath was coming slightly quicker than it had at first and gave the impression that he was some what nervous. Zale would fix that. She leaned in and did not have to move far before her lips were met by Harry's soft lips. They kissed gently and then more ferverently when they'd mustered up their courage. Zale slipped her arms around Harry's neck and tousled his hair. Harry and Zale remained glued to one another for several minutes before reality came sliding back in.  
  
They slowly pulled away from one another and Harry stood up, towering above Zale. He kissed her hair and rounded the table to return to his seat.  
  
"Something tells me that this partnership is no longer strictly business related." Zale smiled coyly.  
  
"I was wondering how long I could last before I had to do that. Kiss you I mean. Yeah, we'll just have to avoid any romantic encounters in the office...well, maybe not in my office...cause it is mine." Harry winked. "Only kidding."  
  
"Well, if you want to," Zale laughed. How long had she been waiting for Mr. Right? And here he was...Harry fucking Potter. Life was good. Hell, who was she kidding? Life was fucking great!  
  
"Leave your dishes if you want, I'll clean them up later, but I need to get some sleep."  
  
"I'll do the dishes. You do your fair share of house work, I was actually quite surprised."  
  
Harry blushed, "okay, suit yourself. I'll see you tomorrow morning. Sweet dreams."  
  
He leaned across the table and lightly brushed his lips against Zale's before standing up and going to his room. She leaned back in her chair and swooned, this certainly was shaping up to be an interesting mission.  
  
***  
  
"Come on Malfoy, let's get out of here." Rowan mumbled. She closed the artifact file that once again had claimed the 'important' spot on her desk.  
  
Draco glanced down at his watch to check the time. It was about eight at night. Had they really been working that long? They had. And they'd gotten basically no where.  
  
"What's the day today?" Draco asked casually. It was awful. He couldn't keep track of time any more. All that he remember was that tonight would be the third night that he would sleep in Rowan's flat.  
  
"It's Friday," Rowan laughed, "time flies when you are having fun."  
  
"Ah yes, on the backs of snitches." Draco replied. "So anything exciting planned for tonight?" He asked curiously, striving to make polite conversation on the way to the parking garage. Since they had come to their understanding in the Communication room they hadn't really talked much. Not any really meaningful conversations at least.  
  
"Um, what is your definition of exciting?" Rowan looked curious.  
  
Draco was startled, he could tell by Rowan's voice that she had plans for tonight, probably ones that had been formed before he arrived. He didn't want to intrude and tried to keep his interest in her plans to a minimum.  
  
"I don't know. Something that involves leaving your flat?" Draco mumbled.  
  
"Actually then, yes. I do have plans. Some girls from the IWO and I are going out clubbing tonight...it's our weekly ritual."  
  
"You go clubbing?" Draco asked, for some reason he was shocked. She seemed like the stay at home on the weekends type of gal that he usually avoided back in his early days when he'd dated frequently.  
  
"Yes, I go clubbing. Have you got a problem with it?" Rowan replied, she tried to study the expression on his face and was very unsuccessful as usual. She had no idea if he was awed or shocked. 


	7. Chapter 7

"No. I'm just trying to paint a new picture of you...that's all. You're not the girl I had originally imagined you would be."  
  
"We all change, Malfoy, you should know that."  
  
"I'll take your word for it thanks."  
  
They were silent for a long period of time, staring into one another's eyes. There was something there, anyone entering the room would be able to feel it...you could reach out and touch it yet, Draco and Rowan remained impassive.  
  
"So are you saying you want to come with me?"  
  
"Do you want me to?"  
  
"Do you want to come?"  
  
"Are you inviting me out of obligation?"  
  
"Would you just answer my bloody question?"  
  
"Sure, I'd love too." Draco mumbled.  
  
"You'd what?" Rowan asked. There was a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. She knew what he'd said...they were beginning to grow on each other. Something was definitely changing.  
  
"I want to come." Draco replied, changing his answer. She hadn't been shocked by his reply. Slowly, Draco realized, things between them were changing, they were beginning to tolerate one another. Who knew what step would be next.  
  
"Okay, well do what you want to do, we aren't leaving to go out until around 11."  
  
Rowan left Draco where he stood and went into the living room, sat down and turned on the tv, but she couldn't concentrate on it. All she could think of was Draco. When she looked at the tv, he was in her mind's eye. This was quickly deteriorating into a disaster prone situation, with no way back. It was suddenly necessary to reevaluate her feelings for Draco...or whatever she was feeling right then. It couldn't have been love, could it?  
  
Rowan glanced up out of the corner of her eye and noted that Draco had moved into the doorframe and was leaning against it, his eyes closed, deep in thought. It was while she was watching him, she felt something that she hadn't felt in a long time. Her heart skipped a beat... That was it, she liked him again. Three bloody days of working with him, she was back to the same old problem she had faced all through Hogwarts. However, it began to be evident that perhaps he no longer felt like he had when he was at Hogwarts...maybe he too was beginning to like her back. Too much thinking. Rowan shook her head to clear her thoughts and became engrossed in the sitcom that was playing out on the tv before her eyes.  
  
Draco watched Rowan from across the room, completely engrossed in whatever was happening on the, what was it called, tv? He left his post by the door silently and returned to his bedroom. He tried to organize his thought process, but found that it was nearly impossible. All day it had been nearly impossible. Well, maybe not all day, only since he realized that his old feelings for Rowan had come back. How could he have expected to forget about her? She was his whole life at Hogwarts and even though she shunned him, his feelings never decreased, if anything they grew stronger with time. They had grown stronger since then and now, Draco realized, his stomach sinking. He was in love with Rowan. The one girl who would never love him back had stolen his heart and locked it away some place where it would never be retrieved. Perhaps a little persuasion could be in store. He knew the power his physical presence had on women...he was gorgeous and they loved it...maybe with a little luck and some determination, Rowan might be swayed. It actually seemed, now that he looked back on what he had just seen in her living room, that she was reevaluating her own thoughts. Maybe there was something there he just wasn't seeing. After all, Harry had said they were exactly alike. Maybe she did like him...this mission was turning out to be even more complicated than he thought and they hadn't even really started the official, IWO mission.  
  
"Malfoy! Out of the toilet now!! There are other people in this flat, besides you, me for one...and this is my flat."  
  
"Hold your hippogriffs." Draco called serenely from the bathroom that he'd been occupying for the last twenty minutes. "Actually, you'll be holding your breath when you check me out..."  
  
Rowan rolled her eyes, even though she knew that he wouldn't have seen them. She also desperately wanted to see what he'd been working on so hard. "Any minute now."  
  
The door swung slowly open and Draco strutted out, yes, he strutted.  
  
Rowan was vaguely aware that her jaw nearly dropped to the floor when Draco stepped into the living room.  
  
"You like?" He asked casually.  
  
Rowan gave him a once over and then a twice over, just in case she missed something the first time. Draco wore a black silk shirt that had stripes where the material was thick and thin, in the thin parts you could see slivers of Draco's chest. He wore snug fitting black trousers and black shoes.  
  
"You clean up nice." Rowan sputtered, although it was nothing like what she was thinking that would involve no clothes at all and just not going to club because they'd be doing a completely different type of dancing. 


	8. Chapter 8

"Is that all you have to say?" Draco asked, trying to read Rowan's face. She looked really impressed by his clothing style but made no further comments. "Right then, your turn."  
  
Rowan smiled meekly, stepped around Draco and went into the bathroom closing and locking the door.  
  
"AH!!" Rowan thought, her heart was beating way too fast and her mind was racing. "The hottest man in the world in my living room. He's my enemy and I don't want to fight any more, all I want to do is get in his pants..."  
  
Draco took a seat in the living room throughly confused. Rowan had nearly fainted at the sight of him, yet she said nothing. What was going on behind those beautiful blue eyes of hers? He longed to read her mind but was afraid of being trapped again and landing himself in the same situation he'd been in for the last few years. He would just have to wait it out, if she wanted something more from their relationship hopefully she would be able to come to grips with her feelings and tell him. Draco found his mind moving further away from what Rowan was thinking to trying to imagine what she was going to be wearing. However, nothing he dreamed up was close enough to what she was wearing.  
  
His head turned to the bathroom door before she opened it, as if he was sensing that she was about to open the door. She had drawn her blonde hair back into a clip, wore a sparkly red halter neck top, skin tight black pants, and stiletto heeled boots. The pants were so flattering, Draco had to look away to keep from staring.  
  
"So I look that bad, do I?" Rowan smirked. She knew that Draco was now feeling the same way that she had when he came out of the bathroom.  
  
"You look fab." He sighed.  
  
"Then we're off?" Rowan asked, cocking her head to one side in appraising manner, still trying to read the look on Draco's face.  
  
He nodded and reached for his coat at the same time Rowan was reaching for hers. Their hands brushed and it was if an electric shock had brushed between the two of them. Completely astonished, they played it off as if it was nothing.  
  
"Draco, pick up your feet...I hate that feeling." Rowan laughed. She slipped on her jacket and began to walk out the door, with Draco staring after her, too amazed with how her legs looked in those pants that he could barely put his thoughts together in a sequence or tell his body to follow her.  
  
"Ah, ladies. The party has arrived," Rowan giggled, running ahead into a crowd of five girls, some of whom Draco had met in his travels around the IWO office.  
  
Draco noted some squealing and laughing and heard the comments they made on her outfit.  
  
"What's the occasion?" One began.  
  
"Girls, I brought Draco," Rowan added, ill-timed with the question of the occasion. "Well, he's not the occasion..." Rowan mumbled, trying to fix that little mistake but it was too late. The girls all laughed and then all turned to stare at him, and for once, he was truly embarrassed.  
  
"Come on ladies," Draco smiled suavely, "it's time for dancing." He strutted by the ladies and waited for them to catch up. He could hear more mumbling behind him...and the quick click of heels on the side walk.  
  
"Do you dance?" Rowan asked quietly.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Hmm. I shouldn't have doubted  
that then."  
  
"Sorry I embarrassed you in front of your friends."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
There was a dramatic pause and they glanced at one another, their eyes meeting in one perfect moment.  
  
"I can't believe we just said sorry to each other. Quick, some body write that down." Rowan laughed.  
  
Draco smiled. "Don't forget to introduce me to your friends okay, I might get too shitfaced to remember what there names are later, so if I have a head start it might help."  
  
"Draco shitfaced." Rowan mumbled thoughtfully, "another moment I never thought I'd see."  
  
"Ah, well you'll see alright."  
  
"Okay."  
  
The six ladies and one lone man dished out their money, received their stamp on the hand and entered the dark tunnel. Their ear drums began to thump, filling with the sound of music even before they saw the lights of the club. Draco tried to take in all the sights, noting that American clubs weren't like British clubs. There were a lot more straight people here. That was a good thing. He had a tendency to make out with strange people after he'd been drinking, far too many times he'd realized only too late that it wasn't a girl.  
  
Draco was interrupted from his reverie as an arm was entwined with his and he was reeled around. The arm belonged to Rowan and he realized, and wasn't sure if she did, that it was the most that they had ever touched, ever. Tonight, he began to hope, would be a night of many firsts.  
  
"Ladies, this is Draco. Draco, this is Ashley, my secretary, Natasha and Ariel from the meeting we had, Maiglin and Adria are also from the Task Force." 


End file.
